CIC in Cape Town for the 59th General Assembly dedicated to the Economics of Wildlife Conservation

Cic, the International Council for Hunting and Wildlife Conservation held the 59th General Assembly in Cape Town in South Africa.

Under the title "Economics of Wildlife Conservation", the 8th General Assembly of the CIC or World Forum for Sustainable Use was held from 11 to 59 May in Cape Town, one of the main South African cities. The ambitious objective, which the world organization of hunters has been working on for some time, is to make universal and shared the recognition of hunting - naturally when conducted in a sustainable and rational manner - among the main and most effective management tools for the perpetuation of wild animal populations as well as their habitats.

Ideal in this sense is the choice of South Africa to launch this kind of message, a country in which the pre-existing wildlife paradise had been largely squandered by the British and Boers already in the early 900s and which today, instead, boasts exceptional animal populations. value, as well as of considerable numerical and distributive importance thanks to the commitment of individuals in the extensive breeding (each company or farm commonly measures tens of thousands of hectares of surface) of herbivores, as a result of which predators have also returned.

A natural ecological pyramid was thus reconstituted and all this was accomplished with the main purpose of hunting, accompanied, of course, also by other purposes, such as the trade in meat and products derived from antelopes, gazelles, buffaloes and zebras. . Strident, for example, is the juxtaposition with Kenya, where hunting has been totally prohibited since 1977 and which has, however, since then lost about 80% of its large animal heritage due to poaching and the destruction of animals. natural habitats. The position that today the CIC has acquired among other major world organizations for the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources, was demonstrated at the inaugural ceremony - conducted by President Bernard Lozé together with Director General Tamás Marghescu, with the honors of the house made by Eduard Katzke, South African CIC Head Delegation - from the speeches by Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the UN Environment Program (UNEP), by Braulio Ferreira de Sousa Diaz, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), by Eduardo Mansur, Director of the Department of Forestry of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), by Angus Middleton, CEO FACE, by Kule Chitepo, President of the Group of Specialists on Sustainable Use of Southern Africa for the IUCN; by Keshav Varma, animator of the Global Tiger Initiative (GTI), financed by the World Bank of which he is Director.

A participation of fundamental importance, increased this year by the fact that these experts, together with others added during the work, went far beyond their already significant presence at the inaugural ceremony and assembly, actively contributing to the technical and legal discussions that took place in the sessions. of the three Divisions into which the CIC is operationally divided: Politics and Law (President Jan Heino), Applied Sciences (President Gerhard Damm) and Culture (President Alexandre Pognatowski).

In this regard, one of the numerous messages that emerged from the discussion and addressed to politics is particularly relevant, so that it must absolutely conform to the dictates of science and never the other way around.

The many debated themes, all connected to practical experiences, are rich in ideas and work indications, among which we cite the following examples: the economic aspects of wildlife conservation; zoonoses transmitted by wildlife; wildlife breeding in support of conservation; the construction of multilateral environmental agreements between the CIC and other subjects; the databases on the different hunting laws linked to the best wildlife management practices; building a collaborative partnership for wildlife conservation between CIC, IUCN, FAO, CDB and OIE; the anthropogenic selection of animals for trophy purposes and the endangering of genetic diversity. The round table entitled “Conservation, Durable Use and Economy”, moderated by Ali Kaka, is also of great importance. The approximately 250 CIC members who undertook the long relocation trip to this extraordinary African country, were therefore undoubtedly rewarded by the high quality of the work, as well as by the friendly and effective welcome given to them by the local organization.

For the Italian Delegation, in addition to the Head of Delegation, Avv. Giovanni Bana, and the Secretary General, Dr. Massimo Marracci (who is also the International Vice President for the Mediterranean), the former International Vice President, Prof. Carlo Alberto Perone, participated. with his son Dr. Giovanni Perone, who is Auditor Commissioner, Dr. Marco Castellani, President of ANUUMigratoristi, Avv. Enrico Scoccini, prof. Luigi Checchi, and the new partner Roberto Regnoli, all individually.

During the Assembly, the appointment of another new member of the Italian Delegation, Carlo Barberi, was ratified. The 60th General Assembly, scheduled for the days from 25 to 30 April 2013, for the first time in the long history of the CIC will be held simultaneously in three countries, namely Czechia, Slovakia and Hungary. the operational headquarters of the CIC near Budapest, precisely in Budakeszi).

An experience, therefore, of high interest and fruitful and possible concrete repercussions also in Italy, only if we want to treasure the strategies that arise from these important opportunities for meeting our colleagues from all over the world.
May 2012 CIC Italia Stampa